Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093077509774072/episodes/16818093079336197181
◇Nanahoshi side◇
“That guy was really fast too, being a special high school guy and all…”
Nanahoshi muttered amidst the cheers of the crowd, and continued to think.
” ──── if Toiro-san were standing beside me right now, I wonder what he would say,……, though I’m sure he would only say, ‘That’s fast,’ or ‘Yes, it is,’ when I say something,…….”
I had not had any of these thoughts until a few minutes ago, but now, all of a sudden, these things began to pass.
“I guess it’s because Magiri is gone… I end up thinking about Toiro-san all the time when I’m not with someone…”
After muttering that, her cheeks turned red and she shook her head.
“That’s right! There’s probably going to be some break time from now on, so let’s go to the player’s waiting room to congratulate Magiri’s acquaintance on winning first place for the second time in a row!”
Nanahoshi left the bleachers, trying to fool herself into thinking only of Toiro when she was alone.
◇Magiri side◇
I came to the hallway connecting the pool and the athletes’ waiting room, took off my swimming cap and goggles, and brushed my wet hair out of my face, as my bangs were getting uncomfortable.
Then Mizushiro-senpai, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared in front of me and said
“I watched you swim.”
After saying that, she came up to me and────
“……Eh?”
Mizushiro-senpai sounded more like astonishment than bewilderment …….
“What’s wrong?”
“…… you, so you look like that when you lift your bangs.”
I see, now that I think about it, my bangs are usually down, so this is the first time that Mizushiro-senpai has seen me in this state, the state I was in when I am Toiro
However, since Mizushiro-senpai doesn’t know about the existence of Toiro in the first place, I should just be aware…. so there won’t be any problems.
“Yes, but so what?”
When I asked that in return, Mizushiro-senpai looked at my face for a moment, then paused for a moment and muttered in a low voice.
“No matter how good-looking boys was until now, I had never thought of them in any particular way…I guess it’s because of you that I think this way.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you, could you repeat that?”
Her voice was so low that I couldn’t hear it, so when I urged her to do so, Mizushiro-senpai’s cheeks turned red and she waved with both hands.
“N-no! It’s nothing! Besides, as I said earlier, I was watching you swim, right? onee san was impressed. You entered the special high school for sports after all, right? Or rather, since you’re that fast, maybe? Didn’t you come in by swimming?”
“No, I just swam as fast as I could.”
“It’s sad that you, who is not a swimmer, swam as fast as you could, but your time was faster than mine, who was selected for the special training program for swimmers~”
Certainly, if you look at just the time that you just saw, it would have been faster than the time that her gave in the first match,…….but
“There’s no way I’m losing to Mizushiro-senpai, a backstroke and breaststroke swimmer, who’s also injured, by giving it my all.”
“…. kind words, are you trying not to hurt my pride as an athlete?”
“You think I’m such a thoughtful person?”
I thought I was going to be teased here,──── but she said in a serious tone of voice, the exact opposite of what I expected.
“I think so.”
“……”
I’m the one who’s thoughtful,……?
“…. excuse me, I need to change my clothes soon.”
I remembered something and felt a little sick, so I said that and was about to leave the place,──── when she said.
“Wait, Iroto kun,…… onee san has a favor to ask of you, is that okay?”
“…… what is it?”
Stopping and asking that, she said.
“When the real summer comes around again, there will be a real big tournament, not the high school tournament that will be played by mixed gender, but by individual high school students,…… and I want to practice a lot this summer for that, so if you have some free time, would you mind coming along with me to practice?”
……I’m feeling a little sick right now because of what just said, but I don’t dislike her dedication to swimming.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
After saying that, I left the place ────
“Then, for the last time! As a reward for winning first place, I’ll give you a hug~!”
With such a voice, she tried to hug me from behind, and I quickly avoided it.
“Hey! Why are you avoiding a hug from onee san!?”
“Well, excuse me this time.”
I completely ignored the question and left it at that, and this time I left the place and walked towards the players’ waiting room.
“Ah! he’s gone~…I thought if I hugged him when he looked like he was in pain, it would ease the pain a little, but…why did he look so sad just now?… Just like you helped me today, I also …”
After that, I was thinking a bit about what she had said to me earlier as I walked down the hallway leading to the players’ waiting room.
“I’m the one who’s thoughtful …….”
I was thinking about it now, but my thoughts seemed to be going in circles, so I decided not to think about anything else until I got home.
Then, as I approached the players’ waiting room, I heard footsteps coming from a corner that was a blind spot for me.
That direction is the direction where there is a passageway that you have to pass through to come to this athletes’ waiting room. ……It could be the swim team members that Mizushuiro-senpai would have called, or it could be the security guards or something.
Well, for me either is fine.
As I walked towards the players’ waiting room again, I heard the sound of trotting footsteps behind me.
“Well, I believe she said it was somewhere around here.”
I recognized the voice I heard from behind ────.
The voice is the voice of Nanahoshi.
Why is she here?
With that question in mind, I quickly turned back────, but the moment I took that action, I regretted it very much.
Now I’m brushing my hair up, which means that for Nanahoshi, now I’m ──── such a regret, I couldn’t stop the action anymore, and I came face to face with Nanahoshi.
Then Nanahoshi said with a puzzled expression.
“──── Eh? Toiro, san……?”
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